The mass murder in Florida reflects the worst in our culture in several respects.Leftist poll-watchers aim to make it harder for overseas military personnel to vote.Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren is blowing more smoke signals about her “heritage.”Tax cuts are empowering American workers. Don’t tell Democrats.Budget betrayal and the DC swamp’s habit of loading us with ever more debt.Keith Ellison joins the list of Democrats with connections to Louis Farrakhan.Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“When right, I shall often be thought wrong by those whose positions will not command a view of the whole ground.” —Thomas Jefferson (1805)

IN BRIEF

Florida Shooting — Reflecting the Worst in Our Culture1

By Thomas Gallatin

Almost as soon as news hit the airways yesterday of the mass murder of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, at the hands of a 19-year-old former student, the nation braced for the politicization of yet another atrocity. And as night follows day, anti-Second Amendment politicians took aim and launched their salvos. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a press statement2 that read in part, “Today, another American community is reeling from the horror of gun violence, perpetrated against innocent children. … Too many families have lost someone to the senseless epidemic of gun violence. Congress has a moral responsibility to take common sense action to prevent the daily tragedy of gun violence in communities across America. Enough is enough.” Recall it was just two weeks ago when Pelosi and her fellow Democrats refused to stand3 for the parents of two girls murdered by MS-13 illegal aliens.

Pelosi’s hypocrisy is nothing new, but it is a reflection of the worst in our culture. As we and many other defenders of Americans’ Second Amendment rights have pointed out time and time again, firearms are merely tools — the intent of the individual wielding the tool is where the problem lies. To attack the Second Amendment is to attack Americans’ Liberty itself. But political opportunists like Pelosi ignore the real cause of the problem and attack freedom.

The reality of the world is that people hurt others. And no matter the number of laws passed, nothing will change this fact. Taking away people’s rights to protect themselves doesn’t stop the evil; in fact, it only allows for the evil to grow. Too many people in Western culture have bought into the lie that people are essentially motivated by good, selfless impulses, when in truth the opposite is the case. How else does one explain evil?

With this latest atrocity, individuals who knew the killer were quick to acknowledge that they were not shocked that he would perpetrate this mass murder. It goes beyond his being described by several people as “weird.” In fact, a YouTube producer reportedly4 notified the FBI months ago regarding a comment he made claiming, “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”

President Donald Trump also noted this, tweeting, “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” He’s absolutely right. When you see something, say something. And those warnings must be heeded.

The questions will be raised about what should have or could have been done to prevent this violent young man from engaging in this mass murder. What we do know is that Americans’ Second Amendment rights did not create this monster, and fixating on limiting gun rights as a “solution” to the problem only serves to punish the innocent for crimes of the guilty. This is a moral problem of the heart that politics is powerless to solve. Yet politicians like Pelosi chastise conservatives for defending Americans’ Second Amendment rights, while ignoring the blatant hypocrisy of demanding citizenship rights for illegal aliens who by definition are law-breakers.

Center for American Progress Eyes Quashing Military Vote5

By Jordan Candler

On the Center for American Progress (CAP) website is a May 12, 2017, article that discusses the “Five Truths About Voter Suppression6.” It begins by noting how America “has a troubled history of voter suppression.” But even though the U.S. is past its mid-20th-century Jim Crow epoch, “some lawmakers continue to pursue policies that would undermine our nation’s progress.” The organization takes issue with things like voter ID requirements and early voting scale-backs. Ominously, it warns, “The right to vote is a fundamental pillar of American democracy, but if the new administration succeeds, countless Americans could face barriers to voting ahead of the next election.”

Trump’s targeting Americans’ ability to fairly cast a vote is baloney, of course. In contrast, however, if CAP succeeds in its sinister plan, the military will find it exceedingly more difficult to take part in what CAP rightly calls “a fundamental pillar of American democracy.” Sadly, in addition to its supposed devotion to anti-voter-suppression methods, CAP also believes that efforts to thwart voter suppression should pertain only to select groups and constituents and be contingent on their voting records.

According to The Washington Times7: “After years of accusing states of voter suppression, the Center for American Progress, citing election security, wants to make voting tougher for Americans serving overseas in the military. The left-wing public policy group issued a report Monday, ‘Election Security in All 50 States8,’ that called for stricter standards to prevent cybermeddling in elections by foreign governments, including banning military stationed abroad from submitting ballots via email or fax. One state that allows such vote casting is Colorado. The center called on the state to ‘prohibit voters stationed or living overseas from returning voted ballots electronically.’”

In other words, CAP is calling for actual voter suppression by virtue of advocating prohibitions on the already limited voting abilities of soldiers. What would prompt such a turnaround? After all, the Times notes, “The report is something of a departure for the center, given its record of fighting for greater ballot access.” Here’s how: To the organization’s chagrin, the Armed Forces are a different breed. Responding to the report, Public Interest Legal Foundation’s J. Christian Adams hit the nail on the head. He rightly points out that the organization doesn’t “like that the military votes against their interests nearly all of the time.” Moreover, “CAP wants to make it easier for felons and criminals to vote, but wants to make it harder for fighting men and women overseas.”

In 1797, John Adams cautioned, “We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.” The Center for American Progress would probably claim that it agrees wholeheartedly with that statement. But the way in which it wants to discriminate against its political opponents tells us something very different. In this instance, those “political opponents” are the ones who fight to protect our freedoms — like voting. To put our military members in the crosshairs is adding insult to injury.

Top Headlines9

Bipartisan group reaches deal on immigration, fulfilling some Trump demands (The Washington Post10)

On law enforcement, sheriffs rate Trump’s first year an “A-plus” (The Daily Signal11)

Policy: Background checks are not the answer to gun violence (The New York Times20)

Policy: Pushing back on Iran: the Syrian civil war (American Enterprise Institute21)

For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report22.

FEATURED ANALYSISTax Cuts Are Empowering the American Worker23

By Caroline C. Lewis

Since major tax cuts were passed by a Republican Congress (without a single Democrat vote) and signed by President Donald Trump, businesses across the country are investing in their employees though bonuses, investing in their companies through research and development, and investing in the U.S. worker by creating jobs. Companies are raising their hourly wages, investing in employee pension funds, and contributing to charities. President Trump has stated24, “When we began our push for tax cuts, I promised that our bill would result in more jobs, higher wages, and tremendous relief for middle-class families, and that is exactly what we have delivered.”

For example, in 2011, a Michigan SNAP recipient outsmarted the system18 after winning a $2 million lottery. As Michigan’s Department of Human Services public relations director explained it: “Under federal guidelines, lottery winnings are counted as income when determining whether a person is eligible for food assistance if the client receives regular ongoing payments. Under federal guidelines, if the person received a lump-sum payment, the winnings are not counted.” As a result, the man, despite suddenly swimming in hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to the lottery, proceeded to continually charge taxpayers for his grocery bills. How noble of him.

And according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office report19, “The amount of SNAP benefits paid in error is substantial, totaling about $2.2 billion in 2009.” The report added, “Of the total $2.19 billion in payment errors in fiscal year 2009, $1.8 billion, or about 82 percent, were overpayments. Overpayments occur when eligible persons are provided more than they are entitled to receive or when ineligible persons are provided benefits.”

You can find even more deleterious examples here20.

Fortunately, the Trump administration is recommending some much-needed changes to the program by emulating Blue Apron — a pioneer in food kit distribution. According to Fox News21, “The plan, outlined in the administration’s budget blueprint for fiscal year 2019, is being dubbed ‘America’s Harvest Box’ by the Department of Agriculture. It would provide 16.4 million households, about 81% of current food stamp recipients, with boxes of non-perishable food items grown by U.S. farmers in place of some of their SNAP aid. The government’s proposed program would apply to households that receive more than $90 in food stamp benefits.”

Of course, Democrats, right on cue, grumbled against “a risky scheme that threatens families’ ability to put food on the table,” as Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Stacy Dean fretted. On the contrary, the changes wouldn’t be taking anything away from Americans; instead, it would streamline the process while disincentivizing those who don’t need it from abusing the system. The White House envisions 10-year savings of $129.2 billion if these changes are implemented.

The only problem is that food stamp reform is part of Trump’s budget proposal22, and, like any other past president, the odds are stacked highly against his proposal getting much — if any — traction in Congress. However, it gives lawmakers a solid idea to chase on their own via an independent bill. Let’s hope they bite.

High school bans “racially offensive” national anthem (The Washington Times29)

Dumb and Dumber: Trump’s lawyer says he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket (Fox News30)

Who would have guessed? More cops mean less crime, analysis shows (The Washington Free Beacon31)

Trending now: Facebook lost around 2.8 million U.S. users under 25 last year (Recode32)

Humor: Trump announces plan to replace food stamps with new low-income foraging program (The Onion33)

Policy: Assessing the Trump infrastructure plan (City Journal34)

Policy: Valentine’s Day is here, and the sugar lobby will take its cut (American Enterprise Institute35)

For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report36.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

Solving Infrastructure, Trump Style39 — The president unveiled his proposal this week, heavily involving states in the process and expense.Trying to Make Sense of White House Chaos Over Porter40 — Porter’s a sleaze ball, the administration has failed, and the Leftmedia is exploiting it for Demo electoral advantage.More Evidence the Ethanol Mandate Hurts the Economy41 — Much of the trouble has to do with a regulatory requirement known as renewable identification numbers (RINs).Humor Video: Winter Olympics42 — YouTube humorist JP Sears says, “The Winter Olympics are all variations of people sliding on slippery surfaces…”McFate, Mercenaries and ‘Deep Black’43 — Mark Alexander’s friend Sean McFate has a new book that rivals the work of Tom Clancy.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Byron York: What Explains the FBI’s Deep Faith in Trump Dossier Author?44Walter Williams: Black History Month45Todd Starnes: High School Students Ban National Anthem From Pep Rallies46Mark Hendrickson: Another Budget Deal Bites the Dust47L. Brent Bozell & Tim Graham: Sickening Celebration of North Korea48For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion49.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Walter Williams: “Americans should be proud of the tremendous gains made since emancipation. Black Americans, as a group, have made the greatest gains, over some of the highest hurdles, in a shorter span of time than any other racial group in mankind’s history. What’s the evidence? If one totaled black income and thought of us as a separate nation with our own gross domestic product, black Americans would rank among the world’s 20 richest nations. It was a black American, Colin Powell, who, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, headed the world’s mightiest military. There are a few black Americans who are among the world’s richest and most famous personalities. The significance of these achievements is that in 1865, neither a former slave nor a former slave owner would have believed that such gains would be possible in a little over a century. As such, it speaks well of the intestinal fortitude of a people. Just as importantly, it speaks well of a nation in which such gains were possible. Those gains would have been impossible anywhere other than the U.S. Putting greater emphasis on black successes in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds is far superior to focusing on grievances and victimhood. Doing so might teach us some things that could help us today.”

SHORT CUTS

Excuses, excuses: “I think it was difficult for Hillary Clinton to get by even the macho atmosphere prevailing during that campaign, and she was criticized in a way I think no man would have been criticized. I think anyone who watched that campaign unfold would answer it the same way I did: Yes, sexism played a prominent part.” —Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Demo-gogues: “After I got appointed, I went down to Brooklyn to meet with families who had suffered from gun violence in their communities. And you immediately experience the feeling that I couldn’t have been more wrong. I only had the lens of upstate New York. … I was embarrassed. I was wrong.” —Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on her evolving stance against firearms

Alpha Jackass: “What’s the over/under that it was just [Vanessa Trump’s] coke dealer dropping off the usual but she did too much & this is a cover story?” —Tara Dublin on this week’s “white substance” scare that sent Vanessa to the hospital

Delusions of grandeur: “Obama’s historic election was a departure from America’s past, but he also embodied the ideals that define some of the other presidents portrayed in these halls: Lincoln’s secular faith in our national union; Kennedy’s commitment to public service; Reagan’s optimism that America’s best days are still to come.” —Smithsonian Institution Secretary David Skorton

Self-inflicted Victimitis: “I don’t want my Olympic experience being about Mike Pence.” —Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, who volunteered his criticism of Pence50 and thus made his own Olympic experience what it is

D'oh! “I find it obscene — the term ‘chain migration.’ It is incredibly cruel to those whose ancestors were brought to this country in chains in slavery.” —Sen. Robert Menendez (“Menendez’s comments characterizing the phrase ‘chain migration’ as racist came a month after he jointly released a bipartisan statement with five other lawmakers using the term.” —The Washington Free Beacon)

And last… “Last week: Trump wants a military parade like a dictator! This week: The admirable precision of North Korea’s cheerleaders will warm your heart!” —Twitter satirist @hale_razor

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

There’s a big difference between DACA and DACA-plus.The Education Department has flushed Obama’s potty policies for public schools.Trump’s food stamp reform is a pretty good idea. Will Congress bite?Solving infrastructure, Trump style.Rob Porter’s a sleaze ball, the administration failed, and the Leftmedia is exploiting it.More evidence the ethanol mandate hurts the economy.Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified complaisance to every sudden breeze of passion or to every transient impulse which the people may receive from the arts of men, who flatter their prejudices to betray their interests.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788.)

FEATURED ANALYSISDemocrats Overplay Their Hand With Extreme DACA Demands1

By Louis DeBroux

The current immigration debate is surreal, worthy of a chapter in a Lewis Carrol novel, where logic is turned upside down and words have no meaning whatsoever because they mean what their utterers want them to mean in that moment.

The current crisis du jour is the pending end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as “DACA,” through which Barack Obama granted protection against deportation for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens.

In 2010, with Democrats firmly in control of Congress, Obama faced immense pressure to push amnesty for millions of illegals. At first, Obama rightly recognized the limits of his power2, stating, “I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself.” In March 2011, he reiterated that position, saying, “With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case.” In 2012, desperate for Hispanic voters to bail him out at the ballot box, Obama did an about-face and announced the implementation of the DACA program.

Of course, Democrats never allow the truth to ruin a political narrative, so despite Obama’s confession that DACA is unconstitutional, and despite the courts concurring, Democrats now claim President Donald Trump is a heartless racist for ending a program3 that Obama had no right to implement. And two activist judges have issued orders to block Trump’s move4.

In actuality, Trump is being far more compassionate than the law requires. In exchange for securing the border and ending chain migration and the visa lottery5, Trump is offering to grant not only amnesty but a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegals — nearly three times more than signed up for Obama’s DACA program.

Such generosity has been met with extreme demands by Democrats6: amnesty without border security, and a continuation of chain migration, further exploding the number of illegals entering the U.S.

There is zero legal obligation for the U.S. to grant amnesty to any illegals, and even the claim of a moral obligation is tenuous at best. The blame lies solely with the parents of the illegals who were brought here as children in direct defiance of U.S. immigration laws.

Regardless, because Americans are a compassionate people, there is widespread agreement that those illegal alien children who are truly here through no fault of their own, and who have known no other country, should be allowed to stay. Even Numbers USA, which advocates for strict limits on immigration, supports giving the so-called “Dreamers” legal status.

It is important to delineate between the “Dreamers” under DACA and what might be called “DACA-plus7.” The DACA recipients took advantage of Obama’s (illegal) program and applied for the deferral, paid fees and were issued work permits that allowed them to be hired by American employers. There were about 800,000 who took advantage of the program, minus the approximately 110,000 who were deported for crimes, or failed to renew their green cards, or married U.S. citizens. These are the people Americans support allowing to stay.

Not good enough, say Democrats. They cynically shut down the government last month to pressure Republicans to capitulate to their demands to expand the amnesty pool to include illegals who came here late in their teens, who were not born here, and for whom America is not their only home. It was a showdown they lost8, but it was a revealing moment.

What is particularly galling to many Americans is to have their compassion rewarded with contempt and ingratitude. The job of the American government is first and foremost to protect the rights and interests of American citizens. As President Trump stated in his State of the Union Address9, “My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. … Because Americans are dreamers, too.”

Democrats are overplaying their hand10, and it will come back to bite them. Nothing will erode the goodwill of the American people like being told that their kindness is not only owed to the illegals who broke our laws but that it is insufficient.

No other nation takes in as many immigrants as the United States. No other nation treats them as well as we do. Not only have we allowed them to stay, we have spent tens of billions of dollars11 feeding, housing and educating them.

Compare that to Mexico, home to many of these illegals. Mexico is in the process of a harsh crackdown on illegals coming up through Central America. In Mexico, instead of access to welfare programs and education, illegals are rounded up in police raids, imprisoned, beaten and often tortured12.

America’s current situation is untenable. Our immigration laws must be reformed to deal with those here and those who want to come here. But in doing so, Americans and their interests should come first. Not one single immigrant or illegal alien has a “right” to come to America. Those allowed to stay do so out of the kindness of the American people.

And limiting immigration to those who truly love America, who want to embrace our history and culture, who promise to obey our laws, and who will be a net gain for our country is not an unreasonable demand.

IN BRIEF

Flushing Obama’s Potty Policies13

By Nate Jackson

Stories of President Donald Trump’s administration undoing the bankrupt policies of Barack Obama’s White House are especially welcome news. The latest episode is the announcement from Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education that it will no longer intervene in kerfuffles over public school bathroom use on behalf of transgender individuals.

In May 2016, Obama’s school powder room police14 dictated that public schools must accommodate kids suffering from gender dysphoria — not by actually helping them, of course, but by forcing female students to share bathrooms and locker rooms with males claiming to be females. Federal funding always comes with strings attached. It was nothing less than part of a growing pattern of progressive child abuse15.

The law in question says simply, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The key word is “sex.”

Education Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill explained, “Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, not gender identity. In the case of bathrooms, however, longstanding regulations provide that separating facilities on the basis of sex is not a form of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.” Indeed, words mean things16, and leftists’ constant redefinition of accepted terms is a big part of enacting their agenda. “Sex” does not mean gender “identity.”

Unfortunately, what was enacted by a pen and undone by a pen can be re-enacted with a pen by the next Democrat administration — at least until the courts weigh in, and at least one case is headed to the Supreme Court. Regardless, leftists will by no means concede defeat in the bathroom wars. For the moment, however, there is some semblance of common sense coming from the Department of Education.

Trump SNAPS to It With Reform Proposal17

By Jordan Candler

It goes without saying that every welfare and entitlement program demands a major overhaul. Constitutional issues aside, there simply isn’t enough money flowing into the Treasury to continue the status quo. More importantly, the way in which these programs are structured is broken and unsustainable. Consequently, this makes them highly vulnerable to abuse to varying degrees, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a.k.a. food stamps.

Republicans have campaigned for years about cutting taxes, cutting spending and balancing the budget. So far we’ve seen action on the first plank, but little on the other two. Of course, Donald Trump did not campaign as a small government conservative — he campaigned as a businessman, a dealmaker who could “drain the swamp.”

For example, Trump’s two budget proposals keep his campaign promises to not touch Social Security and Medicare, but those programs account for an enormous part of the U.S. budget and are not sustainable. As the Journal notes, “Look at ‘payments for individuals,’ which encompass such income transfers as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and food stamps, among other things. This category was 47.7% of outlays in 1989 and has steadily climbed to reach an estimated 69.2% in 2019.”

To be sure, there’s a big difference between food stamps and Social Security, but that’s astounding — nearly 70% of the budget is straight up income redistribution.

Still, seniors in particular view Social Security and Medicare, not without reason, as something they are due and that shouldn’t be messed with because they paid into the system for decades. Despite the fact, however, that both programs are funded by today’s workers, and that the fiscal future for these government programs looking very bad, people who pay in don’t want the government intervening to “fix” it, because most realize that government fixes usually turn into greater problems. Trump knows this too.

That leads to the primary factor here. Most voters — from both major political parties — just don’t care30 about the budget or deficit spending. The issue doesn’t even crack the top 10 list of concerns for most voters. Most voters despise politicians and during election years cry out for smaller government. But when elected officials start talking about spending cuts for this or that program, many of their constituents cry out for the program to remain in place — or demand that more funds be allocated for the particular program.

Washington politicos know this, which is why both parties, particularly the “centrists” on both sides of the aisle push, pull and compromise on each other’s principles to spend money on pet projects that they think will benefit the majority of their constituents get the most votes. The focus becomes not on fiscal restraint but on pleasing constituents so that those in power can remain in power. The end result, as we have witnessed time and time again, is more of the same.

That’s why getting a balanced budget passed or actually reducing federal deficit spending may not ever happen31 because in the end neither party cares enough about the deficit enough to cut money from their favorite programs. Unfortunately, we will continue to get more of the same until the old guard politicians from both parties who have clung to their power for so long are voted out of office and replaced with people who understand the importance of constitutional government run with fiscal restraint.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

The Obamas’ Presidential Portraits Are … Something Else36 — A little humorous art criticism to go with some dismay at the racist artist commissioned for the work.Sessions Lauds ‘Anglo-American Heritage,’ Left Wails37 — As is usually the case, leftists scream racism where none exists. Their agenda matters too much.Social Justice Glides Into the Olympics38 — LGBT agendas and race-bait rhetoric permeate the Olympics because leftists see social justice is our top priority.American Military Tech Is Being Stolen by Our Foes39 — The Iranian drone shot down in Israeli airspace was based on ours. And that’s not the only example.Video: In Memoriam: The GOP Pretending to Care About Fiscal Restraint40 — Congress is “spending us into oblivion,” Sen. Rand Paul said just before Congress worked out a budget-busting deal.

Dennis Prager: “One of the most important differences between the Right and the Left … is the difference between unhappy liberals and unhappy conservatives. Unhappy conservatives generally believe they are unhappy because life is inherently difficult and tragic, and because they have made some unwise decisions in life. But unhappy liberals generally believe they are unhappy because they have been persecuted. Ask unhappy leftists why they are unhappy and they are likely to respond that they are oppressed. This is the primary response given by unhappy leftist women, blacks, Latinos and gays. … The Left cultivates unhappiness by cultivating anger. It does this for the same reason wine growers cultivate grapes: No grapes, no wine; no anger, no Left (and no Democratic Party). And angry people are not happy people. … Unhappy Americans on the Right blame the problems inherent to life, and they blame themselves. Unhappy Americans on the Left blame America. That alone goes far in explaining the unbridgeable differences between Right and Left.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others. When he has no respect for anyone, he can no longer love, and in him, he yields to his impulses, indulges in the lowest form of pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal in satisfying his vices.” —Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

Worshipping Mother Earth: “Forging a coalition between the environmental movement and the women’s rights movement will not only fundamentally advance women’s rights but also do a world of good for the planet, which is bearing an environmental burden because of population growth. … Population projection experts estimate a worst-case scenario in which we grow by 70 percent and reach a population of 13 billion people by the end of the century. But if we continue to invest in sensible international family-planning programs and accept the challenge of meeting the needs of women and families, we could potentially stabilize the population at below 10 billion.” —John Podesta and Timothy E. Wirth

Non Compos Mentis: “The Dutch are really, really good at speed skating. … ‘Why are they so good?’ you may be asking yourself. Because skating is an important mode of transportation in a city like Amsterdam. [The city] has lots of canals that can freeze in winter. So, for as long as the canals have existed, the Dutch have skated on them to get from place to place, to race each other and also to have fun.” —NBC’s Katie Couric

Village Idiots, part I: “I thought that Mike Pence said that it was inappropriate to make political statements at sporting events? Wasn’t he that guy who walked out of the football game because people were kneeling and not standing?” —Sunny Hostin of “The View”

Village Idiots, part II: “We have to be respectful because what we do know about politicians is they end up sitting with people that you and I say, ‘Well, why are they sitting with them?’ So if you’re in Korea, you need to stand up. You need to stand up and show respect!” —Whoopi Goldberg

And last… “The liberal media praise a murderous regime and laugh off poison attempts on the First Family and then blame Trump when people question their credibility.” —Allie Stuckey

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

McConnell is handing Schumer’s Demos the rope with which to hang themselves.Susan Rice sent a last-minute CYA email to help Obama over Russia collusion.Trump’s budget shows that caring about spending is “so yesterday.”The Obamas’ official portraits are out, and one of the artists is a vile racist.Jeff Sessions talks about “Anglo-American heritage” and the Left goes nuts.Our military tech is being cloned by our adversaries.Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“On every question of construction carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.” —Thomas Jefferson (1823)

IN BRIEF

McConnell’s DACA Strategy: Let Demos Look Extreme1

By Nate Jackson

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made a rare move Monday, opening the floor for debate on immigration. Other than a general proposal based on President Donald Trump’s four pillars of reform2 — 1) a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants; 2) securing the border; 3) ending the visa lottery; and 4) ending chain migration — the debate is wide open for amendments from all quarters. “Whoever gets to 60 [votes] wins,” McConnell said. That’s because McConnell promised Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that he’d allow such debate in exchange for Democrats ceasing to hold the budget, including military personnel and their families, hostage to their duplicitous DACA demands3.

We use the word “hostage” for a reason. Democrats generally despise Trump’s generous compromise offer, and as Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) lectured, “Dreamers should not be held hostage to President Trump’s crusade to tear families apart and waste billions of American tax dollars on an ineffective wall.” Think about that for a moment: According to Durbin and his Democrat cronies, people who are here illegally, in violation of American Rule of Law, are being “held hostage” to demands that the law be enforced.

Indeed, such “logic” motivates McConnell’s strategy. He knows all too well that Democrats will rabidly oppose any Republican plan because of both their Trump Derangement Syndrome and their hope to rally their own base with the immigration issue for the 2018 election. By all means, Democrats should counter Trump’s America First agenda with their platform of putting illegal aliens first. Or, as Hot Air’s Jazz Shaw put it4, “It looks to me like McConnell is throwing Chuck Schumer as much rope as he’s willing to take and inviting the Democrats to go hang themselves with it.”

That isn’t to say a path to citizenship for DACA recipients is especially controversial; we don’t think it is. (Expanding it beyond the initial 800,000 or so is another matter.) But it is to say that the vast majority of Americans see Trump’s proposal as eminently reasonable, while Democrats’ steadfast refusal to take “yes” for an answer is exposed as the fanatical and divisive partisanship5 that it is.

Susan Rice’s Last-Minute CYA Email6

At 12:15 p.m. on Inauguration Day 2017, Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice sent herself a fairly important and unusual email (see below). It came to light Monday, thanks to the work of Sens. Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham — the same pair that affirmed the House FISA memo findings7.

In the email, Rice made notes about a meeting that occurred two weeks prior on Jan. 5, 2017, involving Obama, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, Joe Biden and Rice. The subject of the conversation was Obama’s supposed desire that the FBI’s investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia go “by the book.” According to Grassley and Graham, the meeting also covered the phony Christopher Steele dossier — you know, the one funded by Hillary Clinton and the DNC8. No wonder “one source familiar with the meeting9” denied it covered the dossier.

That date is significant because this meeting took place the day before Comey and the FBI visited Trump Tower to brief the president-elect on the investigation and the dossier, which had already been used to justify surveillance of Trump’s campaign. As Rice indicates, the meeting participants debated what and how much to tell Trump — Obama wanted to hide some things.

Rice’s emphasis on Obama’s “by the book” instruction particularly stinks of covering his rear, whether he actually said it or Rice embellished the recollection. Literally on the way out the White House door for the last time, Rice made it a priority to leave a paper trail confirming Obama’s careful handling of the investigation. If anything had gone wrong — which we now know in great detail10 just how wrong it did go — that record would supposedly prove it wasn’t Obama’s fault.

Grassley and Graham wrote their own letter11 to Rice demanding answers to a few questions by Feb. 22. Those questions include some that are of the “what did you know and when did you know it?” variety. The answers — if Rice bothers to provide them — will be key in understanding more about the whole affair.

President Donald Trump on Monday released his $4.4 trillion budget proposal26 for 2019. As The Daily Signal adds14, Trump “is proposing a 10-year spending plan that never produces a balanced budget, and increases deficit spending by $7.2 trillion over the next decade.” Did someone say “Tea Party”?

No, apparently not.

Most conservatives have longed for the day when our elected officials would cut taxes, rein in spending and produce a balanced budget. We will have to long some more because from the looks of Trump’s proposal and the actions of Republicans in Congress, the days of working for any semblance of fiscal sanity are past. Instead of reducing spending, Trump’s latest proposal would add to the national debt even more because it makes little effort to control deficit spending.

“Talk about an afterthought,” says The Wall Street Journal27. “Congress just passed a two-year budget outline that supersedes nearly everything Mr. Trump is proposing.” Indeed, presidential budget proposals never pass Congress, but they provide a guide to the administration’s priorities.

Among the many problems in Washington, one of the biggest is that there are too few fiscally conservative politicians. And it’s not just Democrats who have a spending problem — it’s the majority of Republicans in Congress as well. And, oh, by the way, the GOP currently has the majority in the House and the Senate. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul perhaps said it best when he declared, “When the Democrats are in power, Republicans appear to be the conservative party, but when Republicans are in power, it seems there is no conservative party.”

The budget Trump signed28 last week adds $320 billion in spending to an already bloated budget. Republicans caved to just about every one of the Democrats’ spending proposals, which will of course add to the national debt. Trump’s 2019 budget proposal29 sets a goal of $3 trillion in spending cuts, but it doesn’t balance the budget because those cuts aren’t cuts — they’re reductions in anticipated growth. Trump is counting on an improving economy due to the tax cuts to help with narrowing the gap. Thus his administration assumes that by cutting funds in certain government programs but spending more in others, the debt will shrink relative to the economy. That has not worked out well in the past.

What a burden he sustained! It was the heaviest burden that ever was carried — heavier than the weight of the universe — heavier than holding up the pillars of a boundless creation — so heavy that its weight was sufficient to have sunk unto endless perdition, all the sinful subjects of the Divine dominion. But, amazing love and power! He "bore our sins!"

He bore them His Own Self. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree!" This expression is very emphatic, and necessary to show that he fulfilled all the ancient prophecies — and also to distinguish him from the Levitical priests, who offered the blood of other sacrifices. But Christ shed his own blood, and offered himself as a sacrifice. "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption!" Hebrews 9:12.

The language also indicates that no other participated with him in his work. It was done by his own self! "Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? 'It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.' Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? 'I have trodden the winepress ALONE; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing!'" Isaiah 63:1-3

Hence it is said, "He bore our sins in his own body on the tree." He became our substitute, but by so acting, he subjected himself to degradation, extreme sufferings, and an ignominious death. The death of the cross was the most dreadful of all others, both for the shame and pain of it. The death of the cross was so scandalous, that it was inflicted as the last mark of detestation upon the vilest of people, robbers, and murderers.

The manner in which Christ interposed for man was by suffering. This is corroborated by multitudes of Scriptures. Types and sacrifices prefigured this — prophecies foretold it, and the narrations of the Evangelists confirm it.

"Christ suffered for you" 1 Peter 2:21"When he suffered, he made no threats!" 1 Peter 2:23"Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body." 1 Peter 4:1

His sufferings were most acute and overwhelming. "Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness!" Isaiah 52:14. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death!" Mark 14:34. "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground!" Luke 22:44. See Psalm 22.

6. The Sacrifice of Christ was effectual. This is proved by the testimony of his Father, "This is my beloved Son," etc. Also by his resurrection by his exaltation by his intercession and by the determination of Jehovah to crown his undertaking with the possession of universal empire. "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied.

The death of Christ shook the empire of sin, and insured its final destruction. "The Son of God was manifested," etc., and the day of vengeance was in his heart when he died for the redemption of his people. The crucifixion, by which the enemy hoped to overwhelm the illustrious Sufferer — became the serpent's defeat. No sooner was the doctrine of the cross proclaimed, than Satan fell, like lightning from Heaven, and the descent of this fiery meteor shall still be continued with increased velocity, until it reaches the deepest point of perdition! Briefly consider,

II. The DESIGN of Christ's Sacrifice: "So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed!"

The design was great and glorious, being no less than to rescue the deathless soul from the defiling, withering, destroying, and damning effects of transgression; and by its effectual power, to clothe it with Divine "righteousness" here, and then to present it faultless before the eternal throne.

The fruits of Christ's sufferings are,

1. JUSTIFICATION. Christ was bruised and crucified as an expiatory Sacrifice, and by his stripes we are healed. Whatever guilt, condemnation, and misery sin has produced — it is all destroyed by the sacrifice of Christ. The children of God die legally to sin in their justification. By the exercise of faith in the Redeemer's sacrifice, their sins are blotted out — the guilt is removed — they are made free from condemnation. Romans 5:1; 8:1; etc. There was a very remarkable type of this under the law. Leviticus 16. "Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more."

2. SANCTIFICATION. Having been the servant of sin, the regenerated is now set apart to a life of "righteousness." This implies the mortification of sin, and a new, holy life of righteousness, according to the example which Christ left, that we should follow his steps.

Principles of a new life are communicated to the believing soul in the day of conversion — the principles of "righteousness," or in other words, of holiness, of love, heavenly-mindedness, confidence in God, and a reverential, filial awe of his Majesty.

Thus the guilt of "sins" is forever removed from true believers when they are justified — but the power also is taken away by sanctification. He who gave his Son for us, gives also his Holy Spirit to us. He will not allow sin to rule over his people. They are united to Christ by faith, and "sanctified by the faith that is in him."

Finally, he will finally remove sin altogether, its existence, as well as its effects! "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

APPLICATION.

1. Behold Christ as the only Source of salvation. "By his stripes we are healed!" By his sufferings and death . . .the legal wound of guilt is healed,the spiritual wounds of the soul are healed,and also its spiritual sorrows and sufferings.

2. Behold the amazing love of Christ. "He bore our sins in his body on the tree!" "By his stripes, we are healed!" What love! Comparisons can give but a very imperfect view of this love which surpasses knowledge. Though we should suppose all the love of all the men that ever were, or will be, on the earth, and all the love of all the angels in Heaven, united in one heart — it would be but a cold heart, compared to that which was pierced by the soldier's spear!

3. Show your gratitude by a life of righteousness. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed!" 1 Peter 2:24

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed!" 1 Peter 2:24

These words are full of joyful interest to the people of God. They contain the sublimest doctrine of the Gospel — the sacrificial death of Christ! To this subject the believer can apply in every moment of spiritual anxiety and embarrassment, and find strong consolation.

Vain are your accusations Satan, vain are your lightnings and thunderings O Sinai, and vain are your scoffs O children of sin and folly! Christ is mine! He undertook my case of guilt and condemnation; he voluntarily became my surety; he stood in my place, and "bore my sins in his own body on the tree."

The design of Christ in coming into the world, was not merely to become an example of virtue, or to die as a martyr for the truth — as some affirm who deny his Divinity and atonement. What a meager view is this of Christ's work!

It is impossible to consider, with unbiased mind, the phraseology of the text and context, without considering that the death of Christ was sacrificial. Contemplate,

I. Christ as a Sacrifice for Sin.

Our redemption was mercifully purposed and devised by Jehovah. It existed in the fathomless depths of Infinite wisdom and love. The Son of God is the great efficient and meritorious author of our redemption. God redeemed us by the righteousness of his Son. "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law." Galatians 4:4

1. Christ was possessed of the highest dignity and glory. He was the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, infinitely endeared to him by an ineffable union, and a full participation in all the attributes of a Divine nature — and therefore must be infinitely superior to, and higher than angels. Yes, he is the object of angelic adoration, Hebrews 1:6. He is represented as being one with the Father, "In whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead," etc. He is called the Creator of the universe — the ruler of worlds — the Lord of Providence, and the Judge of all! Hebrews 1:2, 3.

The works of Christ on earth proved that he was more than man. Witness,you blind, whose eyes he opened;you deaf, whose ears he unstopped;you paralyzed, whose legs he made whole;you demon-possessed, who were saved;you stormy winds, which he calmed;you raging sea, whose rolling waves he stilled;you grave, whose barriers he burst, etc.

2. Christ, that he might offer himself as a Sacrifice, became incarnate, Hebrews 10:4-8. "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us." John 1:14. And this was absolutely necessary, that he might have blood to shed, "for without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin." This was absolutely necessary, that he might enter into the feelings and trials of his people, weep with those who weep, etc. Hence he was in all things, excepting sin, made like unto his brethren. He was seen and conversed with, as a man. He had all the members and faculties of a man; all the appetites and infirmities of a man. He was God manifest in the flesh. That body which was prepared, was the temple of God. As a Sacrifice,

3. As a Sacrifice, Christ was perfectly holy, "Such a high priest meets our need — one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens!" Hebrews 7:26. ""He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22. His friends ever beheld him as sinless; his bitterest enemies could never accuse him of one sin; he always did those things which pleased his Father, and the infinitely holy Jehovah announced from the most excellent glory, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Therefore the death or sacrifice of Christ, was associated with perfect innocence. In every other instance, death dips his darts in guilt, before they can inflict a wound — but in the impeccable Savior, he found none. Where then, O where, did death obtain the poison which rankled in the heart, and caused the death of him who expired on the cross? The only answer that can be given, is the sin of others — this it was that furnished the weapon by which the Lord of Life was slain. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree!" "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed!" Isaiah 53:5. This leads us to observe that,

4. Sin was the cause of the Savior's sacrifice. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree!" The sin and guilt of the transgressor, separated him from God, and exposed him to the curse.

There is an evil in sin which no language can describe. It is more deadly than the venom of the adder, or scorpion. It is more ruinous than the famine or pestilence. What myriads of souls has it consigned to damnation! Sin has insulted the Divine Lawgiver by breaking his laws, and despising his authority. Sin incurs his righteous displeasure, and binds over the impenitent, like a criminal condemned by law, to the day of deserving punishment.

Behold, what sin has done!The image of God has departed from your soul,your affections are sensual,your will is stubborn,your heart is callous,your mind is dark,your judgment is erroneous,your whole soul is deformed and defiled,and you are treasuring up wrath!

Hence the unparalleled nature of God's love in delegating his only begotten One to die for the lost, the ungodly, the perishing! "Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:6, 8

From this mass of evil, remember man could not emancipate himself.

5. Christ, as a Sacrifice, stood charged with the sins of his people, as one who had undertaken to put them away by the sacrifice of himself. In fact, he took the sinner's place, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all!" Isaiah 53:6.

This undertaking was a voluntary one, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." John 10:18. It is as if he had said, "Let me be bound for the vile criminal — let me suffer for him! Let the sword of justice pierce my heart — and not the sinner's heart! Let me drink the bitter cup for him, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire for him!" Yes, and the awful mandate was given, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me! Strike the shepherd! declares the LORD Almighty" Zechariah 13:7

For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com_______________________________________________

The Sword of the Spiritby Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“The Sword of the Spirit… is the Word of God” (Eph. 6: 17).

Of all the spiritual armor which believers are told to “put on” in Eph. 6:11-18, there is only one offensive weapon. This is “the Sword of the Spirit… the Word of God.” The Bible is called “the Sword of the Spirit,” because the Spirit of God is its Author. It is called “the Sword of the Spirit” because, thus written by God who knows all, it can cut deeply. This makes it, for the believer, a formidable weapon against Satan and the forces of evil. We are told in Heb. 4:12,13:

“The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

It is because God knows and understands us so thoroughly that His Word can sometimes cut us so deeply. How wise, then, to bow before that Blessed Book, acknowledge its condemnation of sin and trust the Savior it presents! And, having done this, how wise to “put on the whole armor of God” in our stand against Satan and sin, not forgetting to “take… the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”!

For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com_______________________________________________

Light Out Of Darknessby Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us” (II Cor. 4:6,7).

Any instructed Christian reading this passage from the pen of the Apostle Paul naturally goes back in his mind to the time when God first said: “Let there be light,” and dispelled the darkness of the primeval world.

He might also recall the incident related in the book of Judges, when Gideon’s army went to battle against the Midianites, each man with a sword in one hand, and a lamp hidden within a pitcher in the other. At Gideon’s command the soldiers broke the earthen vessels and the lights shone out to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy, who could not account for the crash and the blaze of light at this midnight hour.

For every believer God has caused light, wonderful light, to shine out of the darkness and fill the heart, just as once He said to the dark and chaotic earth: “Let there be light — and there was light.”

But we believers have come into “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” by coming to know Christ. Our Lord rightly said: “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). God is unknown and unknowable apart from Christ, who is God manifested in the flesh. It was He who lived a perfect life and then died a sinner’s death in order to bring us into relationship and fellowship with God.

For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com_______________________________________________

God's Answer To Unbeliefby Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

The resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to unbelief. The changed attitudes of His followers who saw Him alive after His crucifixion and the revolution in the life of Paul, who saw Him “last of all,” rank high among the “many infallible proofs” of His resurrection. Cowards were made bold, doubters believed, the sorrowing were made glad, the pitiless persecutor became His devoted follower. The broken Roman seal, the empty tomb, the failure of the enemies of Christ to produce the dead body and a hundred other facts add their testimony in confirmation of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has been “declared to be the Son of God with power… by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

The resurrection of Christ assures us that His payment for sin is all-sufficient and complete, for “when He had by Himself purged our sins [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14).

Next, the resurrection of Christ gives us a living Savior. Comparing the Old Testament priests with Christ, Heb. 7:23-25 says:

“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

The resurrection of Christ is also the pledge of the believer’s resurrection in glory. In I Pet. 1:3 the Apostle Peter breaks out in a doxology:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

And our Lord Himself said what no other could possibly say:

“I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Finally, the resurrection of Christ is a warning to the world of judgment to come:

“Because [God] hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained: whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

“Now is the accepted time” (ll Cor. 6:2).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).